Public safety is an “integral part” of standards regulating zoos in the UK, but risks linked to “unpredictable behaviour” from visitors can never truly be eliminated, experts have said.
Concerns were raised after a man was fatally attacked by a tiger when he entered an enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday.
The incident took place months after a three-year-old boy was seriously injured in a crocodile enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.
Dr Campbell Murn, a former member of the government’s expert committee for zoos and a lecturer in Conservation Science at the University of Reading, said such incidents remain rare, but strengthened regulations could help mitigate risks further.
He said: “There’s an enormous amount of effort that goes into the securing of public safety for people who are visiting zoos, in addition to the weight that’s given to animal welfare in those settings as well.
“So it’s certainly something that is a very big and integral part of the zoo standards in this country.”
He added that, in zoos that have dangerous wild animals, enclosure design follows set regulations, and staff are trained in emergency responses.
“Their training is updated regularly, and they have immediately known and very rapid protocols to respond to emergency incidences, whether it’s an escape in the zoo or whether in very rare situations like this,” he said.
“There’s a lot more extensive safety systems involved with dangerous wild animals,” he said.
“There’s very clear standards that indicate the size and height of particular enclosures for dangerous wild animals.”
Registered zoos across the country undergo regular inspections to ensure compliance with the Secretary of State’s standards of modern zoo practice, Dr Murn added.
While some of these zoos “probably need to come up to speed”, Dr Murn said he does not believe the incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park was contributed to by a safety failure.
He said: “It seems that in this case it was not possible to get there before the visitor was injured and subsequently died.”
He also said the question of how to mitigate the risk of a visitor entering the enclosure of a dangerous wild animal was “difficult”.
“Even the most elaborate enclosure, if they really want to get in, they’re going to find a way,” Dr Murn said.
“What could be changed is to prevent the ease with which that can happen.
“If it was made much more difficult, then that would minimise or reduce the risk further, but it’s never going to truly eliminate it.”
He added: “There are some zoos in this country that I don’t think are up to standard, and the process of phasing those out or improving the standards in those zoos is slow.
“There is a process in place, but it can’t happen overnight.
“So, I strongly would support the strengthening of regulations further.”
Dr Paul Rose, a member of the UK Zoos Expert Committee (ZEC) and lecturer in animal behaviour at the University of Exeter, said zoos do take into account risks linked to unpredictable behaviour from members of the public in their safety protocols.
“Public behaviour can be unpredictable as we all know,” he said.
“There will be mitigation in place, such as high fencing, stand-off barriers, signage and explanation and a code of conduct for how to behave at the zoo – and for visitors to take responsibility for their actions.
“Risk assessments will also be undertaken regularly.
“However, a risk of unusual human behaviour will always remain.
“The majority of visitors behave in a way respectful of the animal and environment at the zoo, but there is always a risk of rogue or unusual behaviour and this will continue to be risk assessed and part of zoo personnel training.”
Yorkshire Wildlife Park remained closed on Monday as investigations continue into the death of the man.
Emergency services were contacted shortly after 1.30pm on October 10 when the man entered the enclosure.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, South Yorkshire Police said, adding that his family have been informed.
The three-year-old boy who suffered serious injuries at Johnsons of Old Hurst was discharged from hospital in late August.
The Cambridgeshire zoo said in a previous social media post it was “alerted to reports that a child had allegedly been thrown into one of our crocodile enclosures” on June 18.
A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident and was later bailed as police said he was “assessed as not being fit for interview”.
The suspect in the case reportedly has learning difficulties and had been on a trip with carers, and an investigation has been launched into his care.
In October 2016, a large silverback gorilla escaped from its enclosure at London Zoo, with armed police called to the central London attraction while keepers desperately tried to recapture the loose animal.
Visitors were evacuated and London Zoo later said they were “never in any danger.”
Malcolm Fitzpatrick, curator of mammals at the zoo, described the escape of Kumbuka as a “minor incident” in which the male gorilla got into a secure keeper area that was not open to the public.
At the same attraction in 1992, a man was mauled by a lion after he climbed into a fenced enclosure.
He was airlifted to hospital with a “very deep chest wound” after zoo staff fired CO2 extinguishers and gunshot to distract the animals.
Other examples include a string of incidents at zoos owned by the late conservationist John Aspinall, with five keepers killed between 1980 and 2000.
Three were killed by tigers, two were killed by elephants and both keepers and visitors also suffered injuries over the years.